This week, we're exploring Jesus' upside down kingdom, and comparing His actual teachings to some of what we're hearing from some of the more public Catholic Christian voices in America.
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Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself:
1. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7
2. Podcast: Upside Down Podcast, Conversations on Spirituality, Culture and God's Upside Down Kingdom
3. From Here Media, encouraging the love of God, Neighbor and Self through print, online and in-person offerings
4. Article: Ye's Trump Dinner is a High Point for Catholic Nationalists' Influence Campaign, by Religious News Service
5. Community: Smart Catholics - an online community for Catholic millennials, creators, and learners who want faithful conversations that are unafraid of doubts and questions. Find quality content, insight and connection here.
6. Music performance: Kingdom of God, by John Guerra
7. Song: Come, O Light, by Ginny Owens and the Geneva School of Manhattan
8. Audio series: Sermon on the Mount reflections by Fr. Richard Rohr
Second Week of Advent, a reading from Matthew's Gospel
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea
and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair
and had a leather belt around his waist
His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea,
and the whole region around the Jordan
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees
coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers!
Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.
And do not presume to say to yourselves,
'We have Abraham as our father.'
For I tell you,
God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees.
Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit
will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance,
but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand.
He will clear his threshing floor
and gather his wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
